Category: Blog

Renting a car can be a wise move when traveling around a foreign destination, as it offers several advantages and flexibility. However, there are certain factors to consider before making this decision. Let’s explore the benefits and considerations of renting a car for travel.

Benefits of Renting a Car

Independence and Flexibility: Renting a car gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace and visit off-the-beaten-path destinations that may not be easily accessible by public transportation. It allows you to create your itinerary and have more control over your travel experience.

Convenience: Having a rental car means you don’t have to rely on public transportation schedules or deal with crowded buses or trains. You can come and go as you please, making it convenient for day trips, exploring remote areas, or making spontaneous stops along the way.

Accessibility: Some destinations, especially rural or remote areas, may have limited public transportation options. Renting a car ensures you have reliable transportation to reach those places and enjoy the natural beauty or cultural sites that may be inaccessible otherwise.

Cost-Effective for Groups: If you’re traveling with a group or family, renting a car can often be more cost-effective than purchasing individual tickets for public transportation. It allows you to split the cost, making it an economical choice for group travel.

Considerations Before Renting a Car

Driving Requirements: Familiarize yourself with the driving regulations and requirements of the country you’re visiting. Some destinations may have different driving rules, road signs, and driving customs that you need to be aware of to ensure a safe and legal driving experience.

Road Conditions and Traffic: Research the road conditions, traffic patterns, and driving culture of the destination. Some countries may have challenging road conditions, aggressive drivers, or complex traffic systems that can be overwhelming for inexperienced drivers.

Parking and Navigation: Consider the availability and cost of parking at your destination. In crowded cities, parking can be expensive and limited. Additionally, ensure that you have a reliable navigation system or a map to navigate unfamiliar roads and reach your destinations efficiently.

Insurance and Documentation: Understand the insurance coverage provided by the car rental company. For instance, a travel company such as Car Rental in Uganda offers comprehensive insurance that covers liability, damage, and theft free of charge.  Also, ensure you have all the necessary documentation, such as a valid driver’s license and international driving permit if required.

Alternative Transportation: Evaluate the availability and efficiency of public transportation options at your destination. In some cities, public transportation networks may be extensive, reliable, and cost-effective, making renting a car unnecessary.

Overall, renting a car can be a wise move to travel around a foreign destination, but it’s essential to consider the specific circumstances of your destination and your comfort level with driving in unfamiliar surroundings. Assess the benefits and potential challenges to make an informed decision that aligns with your travel preferences and needs

Our modern-day lifestyles can sometimes be a bit monotonous, and every once in a while it’s worth taking a step away from your day-to-day routine to embark on an adventure into the wilderness for some well deserved rest and relaxation. 

With so many destinations to choose from, here is more information about why you should go on a safari holiday to Rwanda.

Often rеfеrrеd to аѕ ‘The Land of a Thоuѕаnd Hillѕ’, Rwanda iѕ a landlocked country lосаtеd in East Afriса, bordered bу Burundi in the south, Ugаndа in the north, the Dеmосrаtiс Rерubliс оf Congo in the west and Tanzania in the east.

Be ѕurе to саrrу your camera with you thrоughоut уоur triр because at every point of your journey you’ll encounter something worth photographing. A safari in Rwanda will аllоw you tо сарturе a widе rаngе of nаturаl wоndеrѕ, from wildlife, national parks, historical and cultural muѕеumѕ, wаtеrfаllѕ аnd lаkеѕ. Rwanda will captivate your senses.

Entrenched in its history, Rwanda rеmеmbеrѕ the trаgеdу оf the gеnосidе thаt tооk place in 1994 аnd killеd over a milliоn реорlе. Today, however, Rwаndа is a соuntrу with friеndlу реорlе who grееt viѕitоrѕ with a ѕmilе оn their faces.

One of the most popular safari activities  is gorilla trekking in the Volcanoes National Park. The park also offers you golden monkey tracking, a Dian Fossey tombs tour, and cultural tours, which can all be experienced on a three-day gorilla safari in Rwanda.

Rwanda has one of the highest concentrations of primates, with about 13 species recorded. These are found in Nyungwe National Park and include chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, mangabeys, baboons, vervets, red tailed monkeys, blue monkeys and over 350 bird species. If this weren’t enough to lure you to the area, then activities such as primate tracking, birding, forest and canopy walks, and wilderness adventures are just a handful of the other popular tourist activities on offer.

In the eastern part of Rwanda lies Akagera National Park, which is located about a three-hour drive from the capital city, Kigali. Akagera is famous for big game viewing, birding, and boat cruises on Lake Ihema. The Akagera National Park management team, African Parks, has recently successfully introduced lions to the area, and two females have since had cubs.

There is a wide variety of professionally customized tour packages on Rwanda Gorilla Safaris’ website for you to choose what suits your interests.

Games in Uganda are conducted in savannah grassland – such areas include Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park, Lake Mburo National Park, Semuliki National Park among other regions.

In the savannah region, game drives are conducted on vehicles and the most cases, the vehicles are pop up roofed for clear viewing of animals, birds, drainage features, and topography among others. Tourists on game drives are advised to come with Cameras to take amazing photos for future reference.

Savannah regions are characterized by:

Trees:

• Deciduous – lose their leaves to reduce transpiration because of the winter drought.
• Xerophytic – drought resistant.
• Sclerophyllous – Leaves are small, waxy and thorn like.
• Roots are long and extended to reach deep underground.
• Tend to grow to 6-12m in height and contain “Y” shaped branches.
• Trunks are gnarled, and bark is thick to retain moisture.

Example; The baobob tree has a trunk of up to 10m in diameter. Its root like branches holds only a minimum number of tiny leaves in order to restrict transpiration. Some are estimated to be thousands of years old. Their trunks are resistant to the local fires.

Shrubs/Grasses;

Grasses grow in tufts and tend to have inward curving blades and silvery spikes.

After the onset of the summer rains, they grow very quickly to over 3m in height. Elephant grass grows to 5m.

They become yellow by sun drying.

By early winter, the straw like grass has died down, leaving seeds dormant on the surface until next year’s rains.

In terms of biotic activity, over 40 different species of large herbivore graze on the grasslands, including wildebeest, zebra and antelope. It is also home to several carnivores – predatory, like lions/leopards/cheetah or scavengers, e.g. hyenas. Termites and microbes are the major saprophytes. Fire is the main determinant of the savannah biome.

As more trees are removed for fuel, and over grazing reduced the productivity of grasslands, the heavy rains gullies and the wind blows away the surface soil. Where the savannah is not farmed, there are usually more trees, suggesting that grass may not be the natural climactic climax vegetation.

The abundant grass feeds a variety of wildlife and on the other hand sustains their presence hence wonderful game drives for example Semuliki National Park – Toro Semliki Wildlife Reserve. Smaller forest and larger savannah elephants are regularly seen, along with buffalo, waterbuck, crocodile, warthog and Uganda kob. With luck, you may even see pygmy hippopotami, leopards and elusive bushbabies. In the park, Morning, afternoon and night game drives are conducted – night games exposes visitors to nocturnal like leopard, bush Babies, white- tailed- Magoon among others.

For night game drives, it is advisable to do it with a ranger and the safari guide should be able to provide great light to enable tourists view night moving creatures.

Within Queen Elizabeth National Park – drive through Kasenyi, the North Kazinga Plains and the Ishasha Sector offer virtually guaranteed buffalo, antelope and elephant sightings, along with warthogs and baboons. Being the second largest National Park in Uganda, it is not surprising to find groups of animals and birds. From Kampala to the park, it’s approximately 6 -7 hours drive.

In Murchison Falls National Park – drive around Buligi game tracks on the northern bank with a trained ranger guide is a fantastic way to see and photograph the wide range of animals in the Nile Valley. Visitors will marvel at herds of buffaloes, dozens of elephants, warthogs and towering giraffes, along with bushbucks, reedbuck, duikers, kobs, oribi and the unusual-looking hartebeest. The Murchison Falls is situated in northern Uganda, 4 hours drive from Kampala.

The remote Kidepo valley National park is one of the most unique destinations in Uganda. – Amazing animals are found in Narus Valley during early mornings and late afternoon – 6am and 4pm are optimum times to set off on game drives. Expect to encounter lions, elephants, leopard, bush duiker, jackal, bushbuck, bush pig, Kavirondo bush baby, buffalo and mong others.

Of all Uganda’s parks, Lake Mburo National Park is the most accessible from Kampala- the drive through the park exposes tourists to a variety of animals and birds. Being the smallest park in Uganda, it is easily covered and viewing Zebras, Kobs, Antelopes, and Waterbucks among others. Lake Mburo National Park is covered by Acacia woodland, wetlands, grassy hillsides, rock outcrops and seasonally flooded valley floors. The newly introduced 15 giraffes in Lake Mburo National Park are expected to pull more tourists to visit the park. It should be noted that giraffes where transferred from Murchison Falls National Park.

For comparative study, clients are advised to visit all the five parks because some creatures which are absent in one park, can be found in another. Would you like to take a safari in Uganda and enjoy game viewing? There are lots of safari offers available from various tour operators in Uganda.